The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-09-17
MYSTERIOUS P0IS0NS.
TIE DEADLY RESULTS or OECOM-
POSITION IN ANIMAL TISSUES.
The Interesting Series of PoisOns Known
~ Ptomsines-Whst They Are. How
They Observation-Disclosures That They
Frequently Cause Death.

ies Of modern science there j. perhaps no
subject of more interest OF far reaching
importance. in a general a well a. ia q
mcdico-legal sense, than that of ptomaines,
or That series Of newly discovered p0isOns
-cadaycric alkaloids-which arc evolved
from the decomposition " animal tissue
/. Francesca ~eimi. Of BOulOgne, in lsSO-
who was perhaps the first 10 discover. or
at least tO publish an intelligent account
of these poisons-applied Ia them he term
'ptOmaine. a. indicating that they
were Of cadaycric origin, j. e.,
arising from the decomposition OF
putrescence Of animal TISSUES More re-
cent investigations. however. seem 10
prove that they may also De developed as
a result ~ normal tissue change IN the
/ living animal, or even from the deiecta OF
eXcrctIOns of the living organism. The
attention Of the studiOus public has been
/ in the past few years attracted 10 this
subject with iustifable curiosity and IN
tcrc~t The reason for this Is that the
/ ptOmaineS. at the same time that they are
| such deadly pOisOns. are naturally dsyel-
! Oped n the cadaver or dead body. or in
any dead tissue i'm about fOrty-eight hours
after death and further that upon analy-
Sis they give the same reactions as do the
most powerful alkaloidal yegetal pOisOns
Since these facts became known they
have been eagerly seized upon and used
effectively by clever lawyers in the de
Tense of their clients in murder trials both
in this country and England
Il is impossible 10y amy known chemical
processes 10 definitely determine these
/ ptomaine poisons in medico-legal cases Of
/ poisoning, for instance as they give, as
before stated. the same reactions Of tests
as are given by the principal and most
powerful vegetal alkaloids One can
readily imagine case in point that might
arise at any time as test medicOlegai
case of murder or suspected murder by
poisoning and i'm which might be involved
the guilt or innOcense the life OF death 0f
! the accused For if after forty eight
/ hours or thereahouts subsequent 10 death
we are able to evolve from the tissues or
organs of the corpse a poison that viii
answer To uii the tests of the main yegetai
alkaloid~. and which has been evolved i'm
/ the tissues of the natural results of de-
composition. we have surely lost our erie
tertou and the tests are of mo- avail Con
wi sup IN - lhN'lh w 'hhhf WV ~ Altfh ~
Wild field this leaves open for the hdeous
WORK OF the criminal pois0uer and the al
m0-t certainty of his escape from justice
The chemical characteristics of these
ptomaucS $50 far known ARE that they
occur generally amorphous in form and
alkaline in reaction they are unstable and
volatile or easily alterable. that they form
crl ,talline salts with acids. When eX-
posed 90 the air and allowed TO oXydize
/ from the basic form they emit very dis
agreeable cadayer0us or putre,cent 0dOrs;
/ but iu their combination with acids form
/ INK salts their odors are generally changed,
resembling that of the orange. violet and
musk
Upon the exhibition Of @ poisonous dose
generally injected under the skin the fol-
/ lowing toNic symptoms rapidly ensue:
/ Dilati0n Of the pupils. muscular relaXa-
ton and Aacc.dity, with loss of muscular
contractiitv and cutaueou- -eu-ihilIty
/ disturbance of the heart action paralysis
/ of The hinder or lower eNiremite- and
lconvul-ions They possess much the same
poisonous action "a, mU-carin and atrOplu
| They AN have strong power Of reducing
potash ferrOcyanidc and answer 20 the
same color tests as do the vegetable aka
loids such as morphia. airopia. hyoscya
mine ac0nifine digtaline. etc
These p0isons are found under the fol-
/ lowing conditions
Fu-t AS constituents OF normal juices
or Tissues they occur in human and ami
mai saliva. in snake poison which differs
from human saliva only boo The intensity
of its strength and action. and in normal
AS well az abnormal urine. Several Of the
ptomaIucs have been obtained from these
three sources by different chemists, par
tcularly Gautier of France
Second They occur boo constituents Of
the urine of patients suffering from pro-
/ gre.siye paralysis. iuter,tual pneumonia.
abdominal typhu- fever. in tctanus Oh
lockiaw and iu military fever. as proven by
recent observation, of Selmi.
Third They are developed largely i'm
lbodic~ or dead organic matleras product
of decomposition These facts have been
lahuudautly corroborated by different OBJ
servers
The symptoms of irritation Of stomach
and bowels. after reaching a toxic charac-
ter. resulting from the inge-tion of bad
foods and meats. 'sauSages. stale fish,
cream pulls and the Ike are doubtless
due to the generation of these poisons IN
the favorable conditions for their develop
ment found boo the alimcniary canal The
ptomaine alkaloii called tyrotoXicon,
found 300 stale cream pulls which has IN
n number of cases in this city caused very
ALARMING symptoms and death. is deyel-
oped from thc decomposition of the caseln
lof the cream or milk or butter used In
making the cream pun and these doubt
less coming loo their turn from swill fed
COWS
These investigations have opened up a
field for scientific research that cannot fail
20 have marked effect upon the general
health Of every civilized community II
requires mo- great amount Of per>picacity
to observe that our high figure of mortal
litv particularly Among fine children. in
the summer months may De and undOubt-
edly Is. due 90 the development of one or
more of this series Of ptomaine poisons IN
the prepared foods and the milk supplied
10 bottle fed infants. which may have come
from diseased aud swll fed animals; 70
saw nothing ~ the thousand and one
source of similar poisoning by stale or so
I ..u..l ,.,.,,r.I or notified meats fish